The Association to Protect Tourism (PROTUR) announced that it would file a lawsuit next week against the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) seeking $80 million in damages for alleged falsification of tourist arrival data, the daily La Nación reported on Thursday.
PROTUR claims the board’s numbers include entries into Costa Rica by migrant workers, thereby skewing the counts of tourists who visit the country and stay in hotels.
The ICT previously defended its numbers, saying they are based on estimates according to global industry standards.